Wash-board



J. 8. JOHNSTON.

(No Model.)

WASH BOARD.

- No. 351,866. Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

i 'll-Ill! [I I Ii.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

JOHN s. JOHNSTON, Or ALTON, ASSIGNOR o PFAUSCHMIDT, DODGE 8500., OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WASH-BOARD.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,866, datedNovember 2, 1886.

Application filed February 16 1886. Serial No. 192,083. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. JoHNs'roN, re-

I siding at Alton, in the county of Madison and lowing is a fulldescription,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a front elevation of a wash-board with the guard orprotector in one position; Fig. 2, a side elevation with the guard orprotector in the position of Fig. 1 shown in full lines and reversed bydotted lines; Fig. 3, a side elevation showing a modification of thebracing-rod for the guard or protector; Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7,modifications in the manner of attaching the shield.

This invention relates to wash-boards having two working-faces, andhas,for its object to provide a cheap and effective guard to be applied tothe top of such wash-boardfor preventing wetting of the clothes of theuser of the board, which guard or protector can be easily and quicklyturned to adapt it for use with either side of the board, and whenturned in position for use be solid and firm; and

7 its nature consists in providing a swinging protector attached to thetop of the board by pivoted strips or braces, as hereinafter morespecifically described, and pointed out in the claim.

' In the drawings, A represents the guard or protector, made of wood orother suitable material, and having its lower bearing-edge, as shown inFigs. 1, 2, and 3, provided with a concave face.

B is a strip of wood secured to the tops of the legs or supports of thewash-board by means of nails, screws, or otherwise. The top surface ofthis strip or bar B is rounded Off to correspond to the circle of theconcave face of the guard or shield A, so that the guard or shield A canbe easily turned on such bar for use with either side of the wash-board.

0 represents the legs or supports of the washboard having secured attheir upper ends the bar B, D, the rubbing-face, formed of zinc or othermaterial, and adapted to be used on both sides; E, a board placedbetween the bar B and the rubbing-plate D, and provided, as usual, witha rest, 0, forthe bar of soap used.

On each end of the guard or protector A is secured by nails or screws aplate, a, made of sheet-brass or other suitable material. The lower endof this plate projects beyond the lower end of the guard or shield, andis pivotally secured to the end of the bar Bbyascrew or pivot, a, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2. 'This plate a has a longitudinal slot, 72, inits upper portion, which slot is inline with a recess or cut-awayportion in the end of the shield A. This slot 11 receives a small heador piece of metal,(shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) secured inanysuitable manner to the bent end of a bracing rod or wire, 0, the otherend of which rod or wire is loosely secured to theside of the leg orstandard 0 by a pin or pivot, d, so that it can easily turn on such pinor pivot. This rod or wire 0 prevents the shield or guard from droppingtoo far down by reason of the head attached to its upper en strikingagainst the end wall-of the slot or recess in the end of the guard andstopping any further downward movement of the shield.

A bar or plate of brass or other suitable material can be employed inplaceIof the rod or wire 0, if desired, in which case a short wire orrod, d, would have to be used to connect this bar or plate with the headthat travels in the slot or recess in the end of the shield or guard.This form of construction is shown in Fig. 3.

The device is very simple in construct-ion, easily turned to adapt itfor use with either side of the board, and not liable to get out oforder.

When packing for shipping, the guard or shield is to be turned so thatits ends will form a continuation in a straight line of the legs orsupports 0, thus'enabling a narrower packing case or crate to be usedthan where the guard or shield is rigidly attached to the wash-board,and only increasing the length of the shipping box or crate by the widthof the shield or guard.

Instead of having the lower edge of the shield A concave and the upperedge of the bar B convex, this construction might be reversed, asshownin Fig. 4,and, as shown in that figure, the brace and slotted stripmight be dispensed with.

The shield or guard can be applied to an ordinary wash-board by securingthe cross-bar B in any suitable manner firmly to the top bar-of What Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by the wash-board, as shown in Fig.5. Letters Patent, is

The shield might be secured to the cross-bar The shield A, plates a,each having a slot, 6, B by means of metal straps passing around a andbrace-rods c, in combination with the bar I 5 journal formed by cuttingaway a portion of B and side pieces, 0, substantially as and for 15 thebar B, the ends of the retaining-straps bethe purpose specified.

ing secured to opposite sides of the shield A.as JOHN S. JOHNSTON. shownin Figs. 6 and 7. This construction dis- Witnesses: penses with the useof the metal strap a and ALBERT H. ADAMS,

1o bracing wire or piece 0. HARRY T. J oNEs.

It is hereby certified that the name of the assignees in Letters PatentN 0. 351,866, granted November 2, 1886, upon the application of John S.Johnston, of Alton, Illinois,

for an improvement in Wash-Boards, was erroneously written and printedPfausehmidt, Dodge & 00., Whereas said name should have been Written andprinted Efanschmidt, Dodge (d 00. and that the Letters Patent should beread with this correction therein that the same may conformto the recordof the ease in the Patent Office.

Signed, eonntersig'ned, and sealed this 8th day of February, A. D. 1887.

[SEAL] D. L. HAWKINS,

Acting Secretary of we Interior. Oountersigned:

R. B. VANCE,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

